An important premiere in the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV cannot be seen or smelled. The leather with which the luxury electric vehicle is equipped is vegetable-tanned using coffee bean shells, among other things, as the tanning agent. To ensure that the whole process is consistently sustainable, the water flows back into natural bodies of water. In addition, the Swabian car manufacturer does not use salt when preserving the leather, saving 45 kilograms of the mineral in each vehicle. For Mercedes, luxury also means sustainability and these are not empty words. When it comes to leather, the suppliers must disclose their supply chains and the animals must come from species-appropriate husbandry. Metals are increasingly being recycled.
Interestingly, it is not the sedan but the EQS SUV that is the first all-electric Mercedes-Maybach ever. “Mercedes-Maybach customers are looking for something special and our goal is to exceed their high expectations. The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV combines our claim to leadership in digitization and electric mobility with our focus on the luxury segment,” explains Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius. So the stilt electric car is the better playground for luxury electric vehicle drivers. And where better to indulge in noblesse than in the interior of a 5.12 meter long vehicle.
Especially in the rear, you can travel princely. The sustainably covered leather seats with the expansive bolsters invite you to melt into your heart just by looking at them. If you want to make yourself comfortable in the back right, you’ll feel like you’re in Business Class on an intercontinental flight: ventilation and a massage function are a matter of course. There is also shoulder and neck heating and a special calf massage. The wooden elements are haptically appealing and a special compartment in the center console cools the champagne, which is enjoyed from silver-plated glasses.
Two 11.6 inch monitors provide entertainment and with the MBUX rear tablet you can finish the film you have started outside of the SUV. The SUV’s command center is at the back anyway: Cameras use gestures to recognize the wishes of the passengers and, if necessary, the bosses in the second row also enter the navigation destination for the driver.
The lavishly decorated interior can only really be enjoyed when things are really quiet. The Mercedes EQS SUV is by nature not a noisy vehicle. But the Maybach version goes a step further when it comes to NVH measures (noise, vibration, harshness). A cover seals off the trunk up to the lower edge of the rear window and noticeably reduces the noise level. In addition to additional insulating materials, baffle plates on the panoramic glass roof ensure that air turbulence does not disturb the quiet inside. So that the atmosphere is correspondingly cozy, you can also transform the light into lounge lighting.
With an output of 484 kW / 650 hp and a maximum torque of 950 Newton meters, the Maybach EQS 680 SUV is sufficiently motorized. Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds is befitting and the top speed of 210 km/h is fast enough. The range of up to 600 km/h relaxes the distinguished passengers and the decidedly comfortable Maybach driving mode ensures relaxed progress. The standard MBUX Hyperscreen offers special Maybach animations and the two-tone paintwork and the star enthroned on the bonnet guarantee an appropriate appearance.
